Muffler vs no muffler?
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Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
Forum Description: everything about Allis-Chalmers farm equipment
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=128978
Printed Date: 20 Jun 2025 at 5:41pm
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Topic: Muffler vs no muffler?
Posted By: CrestonM
Subject: Muffler vs no muffler?
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2016 at 7:48pm
| I hope this doesn't start another debate like the B oil filter post, but I've heard some people say that tractors with straight pipes develop more horsepower than those that have mufflers. Is there any truth to this? |
Replies:
Posted By: Dan73
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2016 at 7:54pm
| They make more deaf operators.... |
Posted By: CTuckerNWIL
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2016 at 7:58pm
|
I've heard people say that a properly tuned engine won't run as good without a muffler because it needs the back pressure. Mostly with these kind of statements, you have to consider the source! ------------- http://www.ae-ta.com" rel="nofollow - http://www.ae-ta.com Lena 1935 WC12xxx, Willie 1951 CA6xx Dad bought new, 1954WD45 PS, 1960 D17 NF |
Posted By: DougS
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2016 at 8:00pm
| I doubt you'd notice the difference one way or another. Listen to what Dan said. Your hearing is going to diminish as you get older. Don't make matters worse. |
Posted By: Tcmtech
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2016 at 8:05pm
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Depends on how restrictive the actual muffler is. If it's loose and the tractor tries to push it up and off when under a heavy load it's too restrictive and is costing you a bit of power due to back pressure. If not, a straight pipe is just for showing off and to make you deaf later.  Personally I like a quiet muffler unless it's a diesel with a good sound proof cab! Then it can bark and beller all it wants. Infact one of the neighbors is working his field right now with a big gleaner and compared to how he sounded earlier today I am thinking he might have blown his muffler out. He really go got a defined bark going now. I can even hear when he slugs it and it pulls down hard even though he's a good mile or more out!
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Posted By: Dan73
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2016 at 8:09pm
A Saab which breaks the exaust before the cat will not run for crap. I was stuck on the side of the road one night with that problem. Ended up taking wire and making a hanger off the heat shield to hold the pipe close enough to the cat to get some back pressure and it ran. I expect this is where the story that a motor needs back pressure comes from but the old motors are not as sensitive as the modern motors. I would expect that the mulfer or lack of one on an old tractor only effects the noise to any measurable amount. |
CTuckerNWIL wrote:Posted By: Hubert (Ga)engine7
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2016 at 8:11pm
|
Use straight pipes!!! I own stock in hearing aids. lol
------------- Just an old country boy saved by the grace of God. |
Posted By: Ken in Texas
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2016 at 8:17pm
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This has been debated before. There was even some discussion on tuning a straight pipe by length for maximum performance. One plus for a straight pipe is they are cheaper than a muffler. Still trying to figure out why a under hood muffler has the outlet pinched down to a fraction of a round pipe outlet. |
Posted By: CrestonM
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2016 at 8:19pm
| Ken, I thought it was to shoot the fumes higher? |
Posted By: Ken in Texas
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2016 at 8:44pm
| like a fire hose nozzle |
Posted By: SteveM C/IL
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2016 at 8:53pm
| I like quiet power. Been around too much noisy power in the early years....my hearing pretty much sucks now."They tried to tell me but I wouldn't listen!" Now when I listen they can't tell me cause l can't hear!!! |
Posted By: HaroldOmaha
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2016 at 8:55pm
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I pulled the muffler off a 45 when it was on the dyno one time, there was no change in the dyno reading. Harold
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Posted By: CrestonM
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2016 at 8:57pm
| I like mufflers on my engines, but I was just wondering. I try to protect my hearing whenever I can, because I've been around a lot of folks that can't hear well, and I don't want to end up like that! |
Posted By: shameless (ne)
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2016 at 10:01pm
| huh? what did you say? |
Posted By: shameless (ne)
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2016 at 10:07pm
| if you have a turbo, that will take a lot of the noise out of a straight pipe. I just like the sound myself, but every one is different, if I don't like the sound, i'll keep a muffler on it. I still wanna put dual pipes up behind the cab of my big boy truck! and maybe on my flatbed truck too! (should wake up the folks in the campgrounds)! I have both mufflers and straight pipes for all my non turbo'd tractors. that's in case the neighbors start complaining about me out with them at night! some have learned! |
Posted By: wayneIA
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 12:59am
| If the muffler is a decent design and sized correctly, there will be very little to no noticeable gain in HP compared to a straight pipe, usually. I have a muffler on my 7050 and no plans to remove it, even though I have a cab on the tractor. I have a straight pipe on my series 2 D21 and it only takes 15-30 minutes of work to have your ears ringing if you don't wear some form of hearing protection. |
Posted By: shameless (ne)
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 3:13am
|
I was disking one night with the 180D, and saw a Sheriff's car pull up at the end of the field. I stopped and he approached, said the neighbors across the road had called (city bots) and complained of the noise I was making! they couldn't sleep! I smiled and told the deputy that they haven't heard noise YET!!!! he bowed his head a bit and shook it saying....ohhhhh....I knew y0u was gonna say something like that! he left and I went home and put the straight pipe on the 180, and a set of ear muffs I use with the chain saw. and went back to the field! man....the lights all came on in their house and they was peeking out the windows!!!! Sheriff never came back! and I smiled all night long!
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Posted By: Tbone95
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 5:26am
| As indicated by the various posts already, it's a complicated topic, several components come into play, and "it all depends". Gas, diesel, turbo, valves, tuning.....Ever see a racecar with a muffler on it? But depending on class, they're running 6-8000 RPM, no turbo...An old tractor, 1500 RPM making 25 or 30 HP, if you make a 10% gain, would you feel it? |
Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 5:58am
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What's wrong with debate? Anyway it doesn't matter to me as I can't hear very well anyway but I still hear more than I want to hear especially around the house(LOL) |
Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 5:59am
Need to get yourself a 1900 Oliver with a Detroit that'll make them appreciate the 180. |
Posted By: Dan73
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 6:09am
|
http://nh.craigslist.org/grd/5780632888.html?lang=en&cc=gb" rel="nofollow - http://nh.craigslist.org/grd/5780632888.html?lang=en&cc=gb There is an Oliver for you. We had a Detroit in a gmc. The issue was if it wasn't wide open it was a dog. Made a bad truck bear to get moving. Might be ok in a tractor they tend to run wide ope. Anyway. |
Posted By: jaybmiller
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 6:12am
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If you're going to go 'straight', pipe that is, replace the exhaust manifoldat the same time. 'technically'(aka from an engineer's point of view) EACH cylinder should have the same length of pipe to 'balance' the pressures in/on the engine. I know from a great friend of mine that a properly 'tuned' exhuast WILL help the engine's overall performance.This was on a 327/300 Sb in a 62 Etype BTW. personally I wear muffs all the time having tinnutis(ringing in the ears' 24/7 is NOT fun and I've been told if/when I go deaf the ringing in the ears will NOT stop ! sigh, growing old sux... Jay ------------- 3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112 Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor) Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water |
Posted By: Tbone95
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 6:47am
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Right on Jay, with the equal length exhaust headers! Which sux worse? Growing old, or dying young? That seems like the 2 options. I have a coffee cup for you: Life's a b!tch then you die! |
Posted By: corbinstein
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 6:56am
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You ever hear of the Mile-O-Mo Bird? It's a bird that sticks his head up his A$$ and you can hear him holler for a Mile-O-Mo!
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Posted By: shameless (ne)
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 7:02am
| also when I was running my V-8 Gleaner, the mufflers rusted/burned out and I was afraid of throwing sparks out in the fields....soooooo....I ran dual straight pipes out of it, elbowed so it shot out the one side. it was quiet in the cab, and quiet on the one side, but would wake up the chickens for about 3-4 miles on the other side! (neighbor said he noticed it)! |
Posted By: Stan IL&TN
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 7:22am
The more important question is what motor oil are you using?  ------------- 1957 WD45 dad's first AC 1968 one-seventy 1956 F40 Ferguson |
Posted By: Allis dave
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 7:42am
|
If you do switch to a straight pipe, you need to start running 15w-40 oil. With the muffler restriction removed, everything's flowing a little easier so you need heavier oil to keep bearings properly lubed. OH!!! and don't forget to open up the orifice on the oil filter stem .003592 to keep the pressure correct. How was that Stan? |
Posted By: Tbone95
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 7:45am
Cute, but what the heck inspired that??? 
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Posted By: Stan IL&TN
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 11:42am
That was excellent Dave.  ------------- 1957 WD45 dad's first AC 1968 one-seventy 1956 F40 Ferguson |
Posted By: jaybmiller
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 3:37pm
|
shoot my dang eyes can't see the diff between 1/16 and an 1/8th these days so WHAT is .003592 as a drill bit ?/ I USED to see the diff between #60 and #58,long,long ago when I made my own printed circuit boards...... mind you I WANT to know WHO the idiot was that gave us 5.5mm bolt heads !!! OK I KNOW it's 7/32, sort of cause 11mm is really,really close to 7/16. Dang STUPID use of metrics.... Jay ------------- 3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112 Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor) Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water |
Posted By: DougS
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 4:08pm
| 5.5mm bolt heads? Ford used a jillian of them on the grab handles on their trucks. |
Posted By: Tcmtech
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 5:51pm
Could be worse. Anyone recall the American/partial imported components made vehicles from the mid 80's where they could have either Imperial or metric or something made with both, Imperial head metric thread of the reverse, all on one vehicle? I do. I still occasionally find one of those odd bolts in my shop. Imperial head but the threads don't quite match any Imperial nut size or Metric head that doesn't fit any metric thread combination.
 |
Posted By: jaybmiller
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 6:27pm
|
I remember the HUGE Ford recall cause some dumb engineer decided to use 'World class' 12 mm studs to replace the 1/2" ones. The problem of course is that no one could SEE the difference in the studs or nuts after a little road dust got on them or even brand new so.... mechanics just burpgunned 1/2" nuts onto 12mm studs..... sooner than later LOTS of wheel failures... Had someone thought for one second ..'what if....' they'd have anodized the metric hardware red, blue, green....any colour to WARN the World....METRIC fastener here. THAT would have been simple, saved lives, saved millions of buck but , alas, sigh, no common sense.... Jay ------------- 3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112 Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor) Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water |
Posted By: VAfarmboy
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2016 at 3:34am
They actually sent a deputy out because of a complaint about tractor noise in Nebraska? I would expect something to happen like that around here with all of the snooty liberal Democrats from the DC moving down here to Virginia and buying a few acres in the country and then complaining about noise from tractors, dust from combines, and the smell of cow manure, but not out in Nebraska. |
Posted By: Dan73
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2016 at 3:43am
| I think they are everywhere. They move up here and do the same things. I had a neighbor tell me she ment to come down earlier and tell me I needed to mow my fields so they would look pretty for fer daughters wedding. |
Posted By: cpg
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2016 at 6:35am
| I don't think the performance difference is really noticeable. I usually put straight pipes on my tractors for shows and pulling but if I take them out to work I either put on a muffler or put in ear plugs. I like the sound but I also like being able to hear. |
Posted By: shameless (ne)
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2016 at 10:00am
| yeah...VA....the city bots call the law for everything that they don't like! another time...we was picking up hay bales in the field at night, as it was sposed to rain the next day! and here comes the law...says the tractor lights was shining in their windows a 1/2 mile away and they didn't like it! now...a tidbit of info. the Sheriff has to make contact or attempt contact with the people that are called upon....but they can't make a farmer stop what they are doing at any time of day or not. then when the caller calls back and asks them what was done....they can say contact was made and that is that! they then tell the caller that they can't shut them down as it's their livelihood. you can't imagine how many calls law enforcement gets from people wanting them to go tell the farmers to shut their drying bins off cuz they can't sleep at night with their windows open! LMAO! |
Posted By: Tcmtech
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2016 at 10:09am
Not so many of them here in North Dakota. Apparently the having things frozen for ~7 months of the year really doesn't help them believe let alone push their 'global warming is bad' agenda very well in this area.
 |
Posted By: Gary Burnett
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2016 at 12:16pm
You fellows need to buy a propane cannon they're always good for a few laughs. |
Posted By: CrestonM
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2016 at 12:27pm
We have them in Oklahoma. It's fun driving combines down the road. Sometimes oncoming traffic (If you get close to town, or better yet, go through town) just stops in their lane! And they usually get a scared look on their face, but sometimes people get pretty angry. On a good note, there are times that people pull off the road into the entrance of a field/pasture etc, so the big equipment (Even All-Crops!) can pass easy. People like that are the ones that I'd like to get out, shake their hand, and thank them!
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Posted By: shameless (ne)
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2016 at 3:39am
| Gary.....I've always wanted one of them cannons....maybe i'll gits one when "she" ain't paying no attention! |